


the letter

by undercoverbotanist



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Fluff, Lawyer Ben Solo, Mechanic Rey, Slow Burn, Soulmate AU, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2020-12-16 16:13:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21039038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undercoverbotanist/pseuds/undercoverbotanist
Summary: It came in the mail.Bound in a thick, cream envelope, bearing the seal of the Bureau of Family Life - the letter declaring to Rey Jackson whom she was to spend the rest of her days with arrived on her twenty-first birthday.*********Ben Solo opened his mailbox, bending awkwardly at the waist to peer into it.There was a letter.





	1. in the mail

It came in the mail.

Bound in a thick, cream envelope, bearing the seal of the Bureau of Family Life - the letter declaring to Rey Jackson whom she was to spend the rest of her days with arrived on her twenty-first birthday.

With shaking fingers, she hastily tore open the envelope and pulled the letter out.

_ Ms. Jackson,_

_ Upon review of the samples of your DNA taken at your birth, your soulmate has been matched to you: _

Solo, Benjamin Organa

Age: 27

Occupation: Lawyer

Residence: 157 Maple St, Apt 26, Coruscant City, Imperial District

Telephone: 1230-443-9871

_ A letter with your information has been sent to your soulmate. We ask that you and your soulmate make an effort to contact one another before your bonding ceremony in six months._

Regards,

Amilyn Holdo

Director of Bureau of Family Life

“He’s been waiting for six years,” Rey whispered to herself.

Traditionally, a person’s soulmate letter arrived on their twenty-first birthday, with the bonding ceremony occurring six months later. The Bureau of Family Life had been founded after the great war; advancements in medical science pointed to markers in DNA that were only shared between two people. Those with matching markers tended to have the greatest biological and romantic compatibility - scientists called them soulmates. In an effort to boost the repopulation of the New Order, the Bureau of Family Life was created to match people with their soulmates using DNA taken from every New Order citizen upon their birth. Twenty-one was the set age, as it gave citizens time to gain some life experience and complete their education.

Benjamin Solo was twenty-seven. Would he even want her? He may think her a child, a nuisance that kept him waiting. Would he grow tired of her and leave her as her parents had? The menagerie of questions swirled through Rey’s mind.

These were the least of her concerns compared to the prospect of traveling to meet him in person. He lived in the Imperial District - a world away from Rey’s desert home of Jakku. She had never been anywhere else.

Would Plutt even let her leave? The man had held her under his thumb since she had been placed in his foster home; even after she turned eighteen he ensured she had nowhere else to go, no other way to support herself than working in his junkyard.

Rey Jackson had a soulmate, but she feared she would never get to meet him.

***************

Ben Solo opened his mailbox, bending awkwardly at the waist to peer into it.

There was a letter.

He pulled it out, dreading the prospect of opening it, only to discover that it was from some distant relative wishing him a happy birthday. Never mind that his birthday had been four months ago. Ben truly had no reason to check his mail; all of his bills came to him via online portals, and his mother preferred to call him on his birthday rather than send a card.

Today had been different. There was an urging, somewhere deep inside, in the place where the hole his soulmate was meant to occupy that he go check his mail, _just in case_.

Ben pulled the envelope out of his mailbox, not bothering to look at the front of it. It could wait until he got his case briefing done and sent to his boss, Reginald Snoke. The man would have his head if the briefing wasn’t filed on time, and truly, what else did Ben have to occupy his time with? His apartment was empty and cold, desperate for the warmth of another person to liven it up. God only knew if that would ever happen.

Upon entering his apartment, Ben threw the letter onto his kitchen counter and stalked to his home office. He sat at his desk, pulled out his laptop, and began to work, all thoughts of the letter pushed to the outer reaches of his mind.

It was only hours later, when he was heating up questionable leftovers, that Ben wandered over to pick up the letter. Immediately, he noticed the seal of the Bureau of Family Life on the envelope and began to open it, nearly ripping it in half due to his shaking hands.

_Mr. Solo, _

_Upon review of the samples of your DNA taken at your birth, your soulmate has been matched to you: _

Jackson, Rey

Age: 21

Occupation: Waitress, Mechanic

Residence: 253 Nightbloom Ave, Apt 14, Niima, Jakku

Telephone: 1403-947-9823

_A letter with your information has been sent to your soulmate. We ask that you and your soulmate make an effort to contact one another before your bonding ceremony in six months._

_Regards, _

_Amilyn Holdo _

_Director of Bureau of Family Life _

Ben slid down his kitchen cabinets, the letter in his hands. Great, shuddering sobs wracked his body as reality crashed into him. His soulmate was real; she was truly out there. Leftovers forgotten in the microwave, Ben took out his phone and began to dial her number.


	2. the phone call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y'all... they're so awkward. I can't. My poor babies

It was the middle of the afternoon and Rey was curled up in bed. Although it had been a whole two hours since she opened her letter, she was still struggling to come to terms with the fact that she actually had a soulmate. Still, the questions and self doubt swirled in her mind. Rey had already been abandoned, and she was scared that if she opened herself up to the man she was genetically matched to, the same fate would await her. She was nothing, a mechanic and a waitress, trying her hardest to make ends meet, crushed under the oppression of her former guardian and current boss at the auto shop. Only Maz, the owner of the small diner where Rey worked, showed her true kindness. How could she leave her? Surely Ben, a lawyer in Coruscant City, wouldn’t leave to come to Jakku to be with her. But what was keeping her in Jakku, anyway?

Lost in her thoughts, Rey barely heard her phone buzzing on her bedside table. She picked it up, the screen displaying an incoming call from a 1230 number. “Coruscant City, ID” appeared underneath the number as the caller’s location. Rey stared at the phone long enough that the call went to voicemail.

Shaking herself out of her stupor, Rey quickly hit the button to call the unknown number back.

It rang.

And rang.

And then - “hello?” A deep voice answered.

“Um, hi, my name is Rey, and I just missed a call from this number?” Rey stammered. “It was probably just an accident, I won’t trouble you any further -“

“_Rey_,” came the answer from the other end of the line. “It’s Ben, I - I’m your soulmate. I just opened my letter.”

Rey was thunderstruck. He called her first. She felt hope bubbling up in her chest like champagne - hope that maybe this wouldn’t be like her parents, like Plutt, like any of the other relationships in which people had hurt her.

Realizing that she had not yet responded, Rey sputtered, “Ben! I - I opened mine as well. It’s so nice to speak to you!”

“It’s nice to speak to you as well. I suppose it’s your birthday then? Will you be celebrating with friends later?”

“Oh, um, no. I have to work; I work at a diner and it’s always busy at dinner, and well -“ Rey stopped herself short.

“Oh, okay. Do you have Skype or FaceTime or anything? I’d like to see your face, that probably sounds creepy, it doesn’t really matter -“ Rey couldn’t help but notice that he sounded apprehensive.

“No, I understand. I’d like to see your face, too. I have Skype, I’ll text you my username!” Rey felt her cheeks flush as she answered him.  
  
His voice made her feel all kinds of things - warm, safe, and a little aroused. It was deep and warm.

She put him on speaker and texted him her Skype username.

“Thank you for texting me, I can Skype you after you get off of work if you’d like?”

Rey looked at the clock; it was 3:45. She had to be at work in 45 minutes.

“Yes, that sounds good! I’ll text you once I’m home; I get off at 8 my time.”

“Okay, Rey. I’ll be waiting. Have a good night at work.”

“Thank you. Goodbye, Ben.”

“Bye.”

The line went dead.

Rey dressed for work and began to walk to Maz’s Diner, daydreaming of what Ben might look like.

******************

Ben held his breath as the phone rang. He counted the seconds, all the way to twenty-five, before a prerecorded voicemail message picked up. He sighed.

His mind started to race with all the possibilities - what if she didn’t want a soulmate? Did she think that he was too old? What if she was seeing someone? It wasn’t unheard of. Some people didn’t buy into the idea that the person they were meant to be with was determined by DNA, especially because the Bureau of Family Life was government-funded. It was assumed that all soulmate pairs would go through with their bonding ceremony, so most did. Being a lawyer, Ben knew that there was an appeals process a couple who had been together for a certain amount of time could go through in order to avoid having to bond to someone else.

That didn’t change that the thought of someone else being with his soulmate made his blood boil with jealousy. He had waited to find his soulmate for six years. Nearly all of his friends were bonded with children, and he could only be called Uncle Ben so many times before it made him yearn to have a child of his own.

His phone lay on the floor - discarded as he began to spiral into doubt. He saw from the corner of his eye as the screen lit up. Rey’s name, newly added to his contact list, appeared on the display. Ben scrambled to pick up his phone, fumbling as he pressed the answer button.

“Hello?”

“Um, hi, my name is Rey, and I just missed a call from this number?” Came a female voice. “It was probably just an accident, I won’t trouble you any further -“

It was Rey. It was Rey.

“_Rey_,” he breathed, flooding with relief, “It’s Ben, I - I’m your soulmate. I just opened my letter.”

“Ben! I - I opened mine as well. It’s so nice to speak to you!” She sounded flustered, he noticed.

“It’s nice to speak to you as well. I suppose it’s your birthday then? Will you be celebrating with friends later?”

“Oh, um, no. I have to work; I work at a diner and it’s always busy at dinner, and well -“ Ben noticed that she almost sounded embarrassed. He didn’t care that she worked at a diner, if that was her concern.

“Oh, okay. Do you have Skype or FaceTime or anything? I’d like to see your face, that probably sounds creepy, it doesn’t really matter -“ Hesitation colored Ben’s voice as he asked.

“No, I understand. I’d like to see your face, too. I have Skype, I’ll text you my username!”

She wanted to _Skype_ him. Ben felt like a giddy teenager all over again.

A message pinged on his phone. Rey had sent him her Skype username - reyjakkuson

Ben felt his lips quirk up as he read her username.

“Thank you for texting me, I can Skype you after you get off of work if you’d like?”

“Yes, that sounds good! I’ll text you once I’m home; I get off at 8 my time.”

He would have to stay up until 11 to Skype her. It didn’t phase him; he’d stay up all night for the chance to see her face.

“Okay, Rey. I’ll be waiting. Have a good night at work.”

“Thank you. Goodbye, Ben.”

“Bye.”

Ben pressed end call.

He laughed quietly to himself. He couldn’t wait to speak to her as face to face as their circumstances would allow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hopeful that the next update will be on Friday!! I'm so glad y'all seem to be enjoying this!


	3. the skype call pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben's FaceTime call doesn't go as planned...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, all! After WAY too long due to the joys of higher education, I bring you part one of chapter 3. I felt as though Rey and Ben needed their own chapters to begin breaching what is to come, so today we're looking into Rey's POV. I will have Ben's up ASAP. xoxo Nat

Rey leaned back against her front door and slid down it. Her shift, which hardly deserved the name, had sapped her energy. First, the coffee machine was broken, so no one could have coffee to go with their dessert - several people had screamed at her until they were blue in the face for that one. Then they had run out of the special entree of the night. Then a waitress had gotten sick and left, leaving the diner short-staffed and the wait times long. A person could only have so many baby boomers scream at them for “bad service” until they had enough. She had offered to stay, but Maz sent her home with a piece of chocolate cake and a kind smile. 

Maz was a godsend. An odd little old lady, she had a propensity for picking up strays - both pets and people. She had taken in Rey, as well as her former foster brother Finn, and gave her shifts at the diner whenever she could, no matter how short they were. Rey appreciated every single one of them.

She had told neither Maz nor Finn about Ben yet. Her reasoning was simple - she would wait until she had more than one phone call with him under her belt, so she would have more information to answer the countless questions they were bound to throw at her. She didn’t even know what the man looked like yet - he could be terribly unattractive for all she knew. Sure, most people found their soulmates attractive, but Rey was assuredly not like most people. Most people wouldn’t have abandoned their child to find their next fix, leaving her to be taken up by the foster system, yet here Rey was.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Rey got up and walked to her room, throwing her bag and jacket onto the couch as she did. She could put everything away once she had taken a shower. 

Twenty minutes later, Rey found herself facing a dilemma. How hard should she try to make herself look decent for her Skype call with Ben? Should she leave her hair to air dry, like she normally did, or should she dig out her ancient hairdryer from under her sink? 

_He’s your soulmate. _Rey admonished herself. _If he doesn’t like you as you are then he’s not really worth it, is he? _

Mind made up, she walked to her desk and picked up her laptop. It was one of the newest things she owned - she had purchased it three years prior with the scholarship money she had gotten from the University of Yavin. Before Plutt had started withholding her paychecks so she couldn’t afford to leave.

Rey settled into her armchair and booted up her computer before grabbing her phone to text Ben and let him know that she was ready. 

<_outgoing, 8:42 pm> _Hey, Ben! I’m ready to Skype when you are :) >

The sound of an incoming Skype call startled her.

_“Ben Solo” _appeared on the screen.

Rey quickly pressed accept, holding her breath.

She quickly found she couldn’t release it anymore - it was caught in her chest, and she knew she must look ridiculous, with her mouth slightly open and the deer-in-the-headlights look in her eyes, but —

He was _gorgeous_. Broad shoulders that nearly filled her computer screen, dark hair that hung long around his ears, full lips - it should have been illegal, really, for him to have lips like that - a strong nose,and his _eyes. _Fathomless and expressive. Rey wanted to get lost in them. Maybe one day she could. 

Ben was, she was pleased to note, seemingly just as affected by her. He recovered slightly before her, and cleared his throat.

“Hello, Rey,” he rumbled. 

Rey was done for, she was absolutely finished. The deep baritone of his voice would be the end of her. Luckily, she had the presence of mind to stutter a greeting back at him. 

“Hey, Ben,” she breathed.

“How was work?” 

“Work was work, I guess. The general public remains as pleasant as ever.” She shrugged, rolling her eyes.

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. She couldn’t help but smile back.

Suddenly, his phone began to ring. A pained expression crossed his face, and he looked at her with disappointment in his eyes.

“It’s my boss, sweetheart, I’m so sorry, I have to take this. I’ll call you back later, okay?” 

“Okay, Ben. I’ll talk to you later.” 

The call disconnected.

Hours later, as Rey lay in bed, she desperately willed herself not to cry. 

_You don’t even know him, not really. You can’t wait around for him, soulmate or no. You promised yourself you were done waiting for people to come back._

All the reminders in the world couldn’t stop her from giving in to her tears, wondering why her soulmate didn’t want her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's gonna be fine


	4. chapter 3 pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben's POV

After his phone call with Rey, Ben picked himself up off the floor and poured dry food into his cat, Niney’s, bowl. He set about making himself dinner - cooking was a hobby he had taken up to stifle his longing for his soulmate, and it now meant that he could prepare meals for Rey. The thought made him smile larger than he had in quite some time. 

After dinner - a simple meal of chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans - Ben sat on his couch, watching Goodfellas in between responding to work emails. 

He wanted to ignore them, throw his work laptop out the window to the busy street below, and stay in his apartment with his movies, his books, and his cat. He reigned in his urges, reminding himself that while it would bring him immense satisfaction in the moment, he was close to becoming a partner in the law firm, and he wanted to be able to provide for Rey, should she decide to spend her life with him.

It was rare, to reject one’s soulmate, but not unheard of. After spending so much time in solitude, it seemed kind of fitting that Ben’s soulmate might reject him.

_You can’t think like that. She’s meant to be with you, she won’t leave you. _

The logical side of his brain tried to reason with him, but the fear remained. 

He did his best to push through his anxiety and continue drafting his case files and responding to emails.

Snoke did not condone delayed responses.

Ben did not condone Snoke being a controlling asshole, yet he was the one Ben needed to make happy in order to make partner. Once he reached that, he could start standing up for himself.

//

Hours passed. Goodfellas had long since ended, and Ben had left whatever Prime Video had decided to play afterwards for background noise. 

A text pinged in on his phone.

_Rey Jackson_ <Hey, Ben! I’m ready to Skype when you are :) >

Ben smiled broadly. He couldn’t wait to see her face for the first time. She was going to be beautiful, he just knew it. It didn’t even truly matter what she looked like; she would be beautiful because it was _her._

He pulled up the Skype app on his work laptop. He was sure to hear about using it for personal reasons later, but at that moment he didn’t really care. Ben searched for the username she had given him and pressed the call button. 

She answered almost instantly.

She was exquisite. More than Ben could have dreamed of. Chestnut brown hair, high cheekbones, and what he could already tell was a perfect slender frame. Ben didn’t realize he had stopped breathing until air shuddered its way into his lungs again. She seemed affected by him, as well, and pride swelled in his chest at the fact that his soulmate found him physically pleasing.

They exchanged standard pleasantries. He had barely finished asking about her shift at work, intently listening to what she had to say when it happened.

His damn work phone rang. _Reginald Snoke_ appeared on the screen.

He apologized to her, and felt a hole rip open in his chest when he saw her distraught expression at him being ripped away from her so early into their Skype call. He made a promise to call her back, and disconnected the call.

Ben answered the phone at the last second. 

“Sir?”

“_Solo. _Would you care to explain to me why you haven’t answered my last email?”

“Sir, I was -“

“Don’t bother. I’m not sure who Rey Jackson is, but she begins to have a negative effect on your productivity, I’ll make sure you can never contact her again. You have talent, boy. Raw power. You’ll make partner before the year is out, but only if you keep your head on your shoulders and not focused on some backwater whore in Jakku. Go into the office, now. There’s a new case that requires your immediate attention. Hux will be there when you get there. It would be such a shame if he got the partnership instead of you.”

“Yes, sir. Right away, sir.”

He quickly got back into his suit and left his apartment. 

In his haste, he left his personal phone behind. 

It was only hours later, when he reached for it to text Rey and explain what happened, to apologize and promise to make up for it, that he realized his error.

It was four a.m. his time when he returned home, she surely must have already fallen asleep. 

He picked up his phone and texted her his apology.

_<Outgoing, 4:03 a.m.> _**Rey, I was called into the office unexpectedly. I’m sorry for rushing away so quickly. I promise to make it up to you. I hope you have sweet dreams, sweetheart. I’ll dream of you.**>

He stripped to his boxers and fell into bed, hoping his soulmate didn’t hate him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> update Thursday. They're gonna be okay, y'all


	5. the makeup, rey's pov

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi, all! In the interest of not having monstrous chapter (Rey's POV alone is over 1500 words), I have split the POVs up once again. I'm not sure if I prefer this format or the original one (I don't like making y'all wait) but this is what works best for me right now. Let me know what y'all prefer and I'll do my very best to accommodate it. 
> 
> ALSO
> 
> Over 4000 hits and 300 kudos?? I'm speechless. Thank you so much for supporting my little story and me, the nobody author. 
> 
> xo  
Nat

The birds were singing.

It was six o’clock in the morning, and the birds had decided that they needed to sing their joy for all the world to hear.

It did not pair well with the misery Rey still felt.

Her eyes were raw, dry, and swollen. Her face felt tight. Above all else, her heart ached. If Rey had any tears left in her body, she would have cried them all out at the memory of Ben running away from her. Well, he had abruptly ended their Skype call with little explanation, but that was only a detail, right?

She rolled over and grabbed her phone. Somehow, she had had the presence of mind to plug it in. There was a message:

_Ben Solo_ < Rey, I was called into the office unexpectedly. I’m sorry for rushing away so quickly. I promise to make it up to you. I hope you have sweet dreams, sweetheart. I’ll dream of you.>

They were pretty words. Rey wanted to believe them with all of her heart, but she knew that she would have to actually speak to Ben - Skype him again, preferably - before she could allow herself to believe them.

She refused to let their relationship be built on flowery phrases. The man was a lawyer, he was sure to be good at crafting them.

Deciding that while she _was_ still upset, it would not do for her to be immature and give Ben the silent treatment, she texted him back.

_Outgoing, 6:07 am_ <Hey, Ben. Maybe we could Skype sometime today to talk about last night?>

A response came almost instantaneously.

_Ben Solo _<I’m not going into the office again until this afternoon if now works for you.>

Rey sighed and went to retrieve her computer from where she had left it in the living room.

She knew she wasn’t being completely fair. Ben probably had a valid reason for running out on their call, but she couldn’t help but feel wounded. She had kept her chin up during her diner shift just thinking about their Skype call, only for it to end before it had ever really started.

She sat on her bed and booted up her computer. Opening, the Skype app, she clicked on Ben’s name.

It barely rang twice before he picked up.

He looked… awful. There were bags under his bloodshot eyes. He looked pale, and his hair hung limply around his ears. He looked pained. Even so, he was still devastatingly handsome to her. 

Rey spoke first.

“Hey,” she whispered.

“Hey,” his voice sounded raw and scratchy, like he had been screaming or crying. 

Apparently, the night before hadn’t been easy for him, either.

“Ben, what happened last night?”

He sighed and hung his head for a moment before looking up into her eyes.

“My boss called me and demanded I come into work on a new case the firm just took on. I’m about to make partner, so if I suck up to him now and do what he asks me to, I’ll have more job security and a higher income soon enough.”

“Oh. Does this happen often?”

Ben winced before answering her.

“Three or four times a week. There’s another guy, Hux, who’s in competition with me for the partnership. He gets called in just as often as me. If he shows up and I don’t, that reflects very poorly on me.”

“I guess that makes sense.” 

Rey understood competition. Competing with others to make sure she could stay ahead, that she could afford to go to college and leave Jakku behind, had been all of Rey’s high school experience. She had been accepted to the University of Yavin, given a full ride to attend. But that didn’t cover all of her living expenses, like her meal plan and the money to travel to Yavin. In the end, all of that competition had been for nothing.

Rey shook herself out of her reverie as Ben began to speak again.

“I want you to know, sweetheart, that I didn’t want to leave so abruptly. I had been looking forward to our call all night. But, getting this promotion means that I can provide for you if you decide that you want to be with me. I have no doubts that you can take care of yourself, but I want you to know that you don’t have to anymore. I’m here for you, and I’m not going anywhere unless you ask me to.” 

She met his eyes on her computer screen. They looked wet, and his lip was trembling ever so slightly. 

She sighed, “I believe you, Ben. But please promise me you’ll take care of yourself. I’m very appreciative of the fact that you want to provide for me, but if it’s causing you stress please don’t worry about it. We can take care of each other, as a team. I’ve got you and you’ve got me.”

Ben smiled. He was so beautiful when he did that. 

“I love your smile. You should smile more often,” she said softly, a smile of her own tilting her lips up.

His smile only grew.

//

They talked for nearly two hours, only stopping so Ben could start getting ready for work. 

Rey could imagine that hair like his took time.

She told him about her experience in the foster system, getting bounced around from home to home. She told him about Maz, and how she was like the mother she never had. She also told him about Plutt, and how he had kept her from leaving Jakku to go to college. Rey hadn’t missed how a muscle in his jaw jumped and murder filled his eyes as he listened to her, only to abate when she revealed that he had been arrested for aggravated assault a year later and was still serving his prison sentence. 

Ben told her about his parents. How his mother and father were never really around, how he had been practically raised by his nanny. He told her about his time in college, and how he had been a loner, content to stay in his room studying instead of going out every weekend. 

They talked about inconsequential things - favorite colors, favorite foods, opinions on pop culture. 

Rey counted herself lucky. She could easily see herself falling in love with this man.


	6. the makeup, Ben's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben's pov, and a big reveal...

Ben was miserable. Physically, he felt like he had been hit by a truck. Emotionally, he didn’t know how to even begin to unpack all of the things he was feeling. His hurt heart, for himself and for Rey; they had just found each other and things were already trying to come between them. 

When he had arrived to work, Snoke had thrown two files in his face almost immediately. The first was the new case he had been called in for in the first place; Sheev Palpatine was being charged with murder by the Imperial District D.A. The second was more personal. It contained information about Rey, including her picture, her address, her educational and work history. 

Ben felt white-hot anger course through him as he glared at Snoke. “Where did you get this.”

“I have my contacts, Solo. If you’ll remember, you signed a contract stating that none of the activity on your work-provided devices was truly private and accessible by the firm at all times, and that said devices were not to be used for non-work activities. I am personally notified every time an employee breaks this contract. She’s quite the beauty, I’ll give you that. I’m sure she’ll polish up nicely, for Jakku garbage. Now get to work, or you won’t have any work to come back to.”

Ben had worked all night to gather what evidence the prosecution had against his new client. 

It hadn’t truly been worth going in in the middle of the night and getting around three hours of sleep. While it was a high-profile case, it could have waited until in the morning.

He had tried to go back to sleep, of course, but when he closed his eyes all he could see was Rey, and the sorrow that had filled her eyes when he rushed off of Skype with her. This triggered his anger at Snoke and his bullshit overbearance to come back full-force, so, really, Ben didn’t stand a chance at getting a decent amount of sleep.

He felt uneasy about representing Palpatine. He had admitted his crime to Snoke in front of Ben and Hux, and appeared to feel no remorse about it. It was Ben’s job as a lawyer, he knew, to represent him as best he could in court and sway the jury to acquit him if his client decided to plead not guilty. 

He had decided he wouldn’t tell Rey any details about the case. He couldn’t, anyway. He just hoped she wouldn’t be too mad at him if she found out he was representing the man who was sure to be the most highly suspected murderer since OJ.

Suddenly, his phone pinged. A text message, then. 

_Rey Jackson _<Hey, Ben. Maybe we could Skype sometime today to talk about last night?>

Ben smiled. Perhaps today wouldn’t be as miserable as he thought.

He quickly responded, <I’m not going into the office again until this afternoon, if now works for you.>

He was careful to maintain what he hoped was a neutral tone, despite his joy at her speaking to him. If she was truly mad at him, he didn’t want his response to seem out of place.

The Skype ringtone sounded on his _personal_ laptop, which he had been streaming Netflix on for comfort. Ben wasn’t entirely sure where his work laptop was and he honestly didn’t care to find out.

He answered immediately.

She looked… haggard. Still beautiful, of course, but far less peaceful than the night before. Her hair was in a messy braid that snaked around her shoulder, her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, and she looked generally miserable.

He deserved every punishment imaginable for making her look like that.

She greeted him first, a low “hey” that barely even passed as a whisper.

She sighed heavily, “Ben, what happened last night?”

He sighed in return, hanging his head, and spilled part of what his boss’s expectations of him were, about his eternal competition with Hux, about the promotion he was promised if he only pushed himself harder.

He told her that she was his motivation, now. That while she could undoubtedly take care of herself, she didn’t have to anymore. That he was with her for as long as she’d have him. 

She gave him a half-smile throughout his speech. One that seemed genuine, though tentative, as though she wasn’t really sure she could trust him anymore. Ben thought he deserved it. His eyes had begun to fill with tears at the thought of her hating him, and he felt his lip tremble slightly.

Absolution came in the form of a careful, “I believe you, Ben. But please promise me you’ll take care of yourself. I’m very appreciative of the fact that you want to provide for me, but if it’s causing you stress please don’t worry about it. We can take care of each other, as a team. I’ve got you and you’ve got me.”

He smiled broadly at that. He would never give her a reason to feel like he was abandoning her ever again. 

She smiled back and said “I love your smile. You should smile more often.”

His smile only grew.

//

They spoke for a long time until Ben had to get ready to go into the office. He was loathe to leave the internet bubble they had created, but he couldn’t push off reality any longer.

He knew he already loved her. He would let her say it first, he could be patient.

He never told her about Snoke’s file. He would handle that himself.


	7. chapter five pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> itty bitty baby chapter. my finals kicked my ass. hopefully updating will be more regular now.  
love,  
nat

The following weeks passed in much the same way. Rey worked, worked some more, and Skyped or called Ben at least once a day most days, provided his work schedule allowed them to do so. 

It was a Tuesday night. Rey was regaling Ben with embarrassing high school stories, knowing he wouldn’t laugh at her for how awkward and strange she had been back then. 

The look on his face made her pause. He was looking at her, like… like she was the moon, or a diamond, or some other beautiful thing. There was something else in his eyes, something that brought to mind a word that Rey wanted to say to him but that scared her more than anything. 

Ben cleared his throat, what could only be called apprehension coloring his expression.

“Rey, sweetheart, I’d like to ask you something.”

Her brows creased. What on earth could he have to ask her? They had gone over every asinine detail of their day to day lives; he knew her preferred breakfast foods, how she loved coffee for its warmth more than the caffeine hit, and even that she had three locks on her door just in case one of Plutt’s men came for her in the night. 

“Okay? Is something wrong?”

“No, I… I was wondering if you would like to meet in person. I know we’ve discussed it, but we never made any solid plans and I would just really like to see you face to face, and to be able to hold you in my arms. I know your soul, and I adore it, but I want to know what it’s like to be physically with you as well.” His eyes were so open, so vulnerable. Ben was afraid to ask her, she knew.

“I would love that, Ben. I don’t have enough money saved up to buy a plane ticket right now, but I’ll start saving now, and I should be able to fly out to see you in maybe a month or so.” 

She did not want him to come to Jakku to see her. She didn’t want him to see her rundown apartment, or the diner, or even where she went to high school. Surely none of it was as fine as what he had grown up around in the Imperial District. It was insane to think that Ben, _her Ben_, would think any less of her for her circumstances, but the little voice in the back of her head would not let her forget that it was a possibility. Maybe she had read their entire situation wrong, and he didn’t actually care about her. Maybe he would be upset that she couldn’t afford to come see him straightaway. 

“Darling, I don’t mind waiting. Though, if you wouldn’t mind, I could pay for your tickets. It would be a pleasure for me to pay. I can afford it, and I’m the one that asked you to come anyway.”

Rey felt the sharp stab of pride in her gut. She would not agree to him paying for her flights, at least not right away. And she would pay him back either way, no matter that he was her soulmate.

“Okay. I will come see you. Your offer is very sweet, but I would like to try to save the money up myself first.”

The beauty of his answering smile kept her warm long after they had said goodnight.


	8. chapter five part two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *taps mic*  
anyone out there?

Snoke’s threats had stopped.

Ben knew that it wasn’t permanent - the occasional withering stare from his boss proved as much - but he was grateful for a reprieve nonetheless. He could only hope nothing happened before he had the chance to tell Rey about Snoke’s file on her.

He and Rey had talked at least once a day ever since their make-up Skype call, as he had taken to calling it. He learned more about her every day, and it only cemented his love for her. He still hadn’t told her. He was planning to save that particular declaration for when she joined him in the Imperial District and he had the chance to look into her eyes as he told her she was the sole owner of his heart. Tonight, they had plans to Skype, and Ben’s chest felt fit to burst from excitement. It was only a Tuesday, but Rey always made magic out of the monotony of Ben’s life. 

Ben left the office for the day, trying to shake the feeling that he was being watched.

//

Rey was gorgeous. He was enraptured by her wide, easy smile, her golden skin, her tawny freckles. He wanted to map her freckles with his mouth, one day.

He had asked her about what some of her earlier years were like, though he had been quick to say that if it was an uncomfortable subject they didn’t have to talk about it. If anyone knew about painful pasts, it was Ben.

She had only given him a small smile and launched into a retelling of her awkward high school years, nothing but trust in her eyes. 

The realization hit him like a train. He knew he loved her, of course, he did, but he had never given a ton of thought to what it would _really_ be like to have her live with him, to have her smiles and freckles and golden skin beside him all the time. He burned with how much he wanted it. He couldn’t ask her to move in with him right off the bat, that would be insane. He’d just have to ask her to visit.

Rey must have noticed what was surely the thunderstruck look on his face, given how she slowed down to watch him more closely.

He cleared his throat and dove headfirst: “Rey, sweetheart, I’d like to ask you something.”

A stricken look crossed her face.

“Okay? Is something wrong?”

The timidness of her voice threatened to render him in two, and he rushed to reassure her, “No, I… I was wondering if you would like to meet in person. I know we’ve discussed it, but we never made any solid plans and I would just really like to see you face to face and to be able to hold you in my arms. I know your soul, and I adore it, but I want to know what it’s like to be physically with you as well.”

He cursed himself for the waver in his voice, but was saved by her response. She had agreed, but had asked for time to save the money for a plane ticket. Ben hated the thought of waiting another moment to see her, but acquiesced, knowing her pride wouldn’t be able to take him paying for a plane ticket, no matter how pure his intentions were. That didn’t stop him from offering. 

His Rey was adamant about trying to save the money herself. He couldn’t possibly be surprised - her fighting spirit was one of the things he loved most about her. 

//

Ben was asleep long before the note slid under his apartment door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember Ben hoping nothing would happen with Snoke before he got to tell Rey about the file? yeah, about that...


	9. chapter six, part one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things get... heated... at Rey's apartment  
(read to the end for a surprise)

Rey awoke to the sound of sirens and the smell of smoke, feeling an oppressive, unrelenting _heat_ surrounding her. She opened her eyes, only to close them against burning smoke. 

Her apartment was on fire.

A clatter sounded from  the living room, and within moments a fireman was forcing his way through Rey’s bedroom door. 

“Ma’am, you have to get out. Please come with me,” the man said.

Rey nodded quickly as she coughed again, grabbing her phone and purse from her bedside. Her head felt foggy, and she stumbled as she followed the fireman out of the apartment and to the waiting ambulance.

The paramedic gave her an oxygen mask and sat her on the stretcher before continuing her examination of Rey’s condition. Rey flitted in and out of consciousness the rest of the ride to the hospital.

//

Hours later, Rey found herself lying in a hospital bed, watching some sort of gardening show and trying not to fidget with the oxygen cannula draped across her face. Apparently, Rey had gotten out of her apartment right before the smoke would have caused her to sustain lasting injuries. As such, the doctor Rey had seen in the emergency room had deemed it best for Rey to stay the night for observation. All being well, she could leave the next morning. 

Rey vaguely remembered the paramedic asking her for an emergency contact. She didn’t realize what name she had given them until the nurse confirmed that they had called the correct person.

_Ben._

She had given them Ben’s name, and they had called him and told him what had happened. The nurse said he had promised to be there as quickly as he could, never mind that it would take a cross-country flight for him to get there.

This wasn’t how Rey wanted their first meeting to happen. She had imagined it in her head countless times - she would save up to buy a plane ticket before flying to the Imperial District, Ben would pick her up at the airport, they would hug, and possibly kiss, before going back to his apartment to get to know each other properly. 

He wasn’t supposed to book a last-minute flight to Jakku in order to visit her in a hospital after her apartment burned down. He wasn’t supposed to spend his flight out of his mind with worry (Rey knew he would - he worried enough about small things as it was). 

Rey’s laments were cut short as a knock sounded at the door to her room. 

She looked over to see a face she had only glimpsed through a computer screen. Ben was _here_, in person. He was… extremely tall. And very, very broad. Rey’s eyes traced over the face she had committed to memory, and her heart broke as she took in his panicked expression. 

She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but stopped as Ben abruptly crossed the room to kneel beside her bed.

That’s when she noticed the tears in his eyes, and felt her own sliding down her cheeks.

He took her hand and squeezed it, using his free one to wipe the tears from her cheeks. 

“Hey, sweetheart.”

“You’re _here.” _Rey breathed, “I can’t believe you’re really _here_.”

“Of course I am. I booked a flight as soon as I got the call. I couldn’t leave you to sit in a hospital room by yourself.”

Rey only smiled at him, suddenly shy in his presence. It was ridiculous, she knew him well, but there was something so different about seeing him in person. She did her best to ignore the way the beep of the pulse monitor sped up when she looked at him.

“How are you feeling?” He asked, dragging Rey out of her thoughts once again.

“I’ve been better.” she shrugged “It’s not the worst I’ve ever had. Please sit in the chair, you’re making my knees hurt just looking at you.”

Ben gave her a slight smile as he obliged her, but she could still see the tension in his shoulders.

“I’ll be okay, Ben.”

“I should be the one reassuring you,” he grimaced.

“You being here is reassurance enough.” 

He took her hand again, doing his best to avoid the IV sticking out of it.

“I’m sorry we had to meet in person like this, Rey. I know it’s not what you wanted. And I’m sorry about your apartment. We can talk about what you want to do next later.”

Rey nodded. She had already gotten the devastating news that the apartment was expected to be a total loss. The amount of change that had occurred in one day was overwhelming, and Rey just wanted someone to hold her while she sorted through her emotions.

“Ben?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Will you hold me?”

He smiled broadly at her, and carefully sat on the space she made for him beside her. She felt herself relax into his chest as his solid arms came around her. He was so warm, and he smelled like home. She tilted her head back to smile at him, and the world made a little more sense when he leaned down to kiss her for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they're together! in person! my heart can't take it omg

**Author's Note:**

> Let's have a multichapter fic, shall we? This is my spin on the soulmate au, updates will be sporadic for right now as I have a busy week ahead of me. Comments and kudos are appreciated!


End file.
